Semiconductor devices based on silicon, such as transistors and photodiodes, have been the standard for the past three decades. However, semiconductor devices based on alternative materials are receiving increasing attention for advantages over silicon-based semiconductor devices. Semiconductor devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) are one example of such semiconductor devices.
GaN-based semiconductor devices have found widespread use in optoelectric applications (e.g., in light emitting diodes) due to the wide band gap of GaN. GaN-based semiconductor devices also offer a potential advantage for use in solar cells where GaN semiconductor devices cover a wide range of photons energies and in high power applications where the high electron mobility and low temperature coefficients of GaN allow it to carry large currents and support high voltages.